Refrigerator car door



Wren-14, 1939.

w. M. DWYER REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR Filed Au 4, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet l 1 T m V25 yer March 14, 1939. YER w 2,150,271

REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR Fil ed Aug. 4, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 14, 1939. w YE 2,150,271

REFRIGERATOR GAR DOOR FiledAug. 4, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 14, 1939. w. M. DWYER REFRIGERATOR CAB DOOR v Filed Aug. 4, 1937 4Sheets-Sheefi 4 Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATOR can. noon William M. Dwyer, Chicago, Ill.,- assignmto W. H.

Miner, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August 4, 1937, Serial No. 157,307

15 Claims.

in with means for either finally forcing the same tightly into the door opening or initially prying the same out of said opening, wherein simple and eificient, manually actuated, mechanism is employed for independently actuating said door moving means and forcible closing and opening means.

A further object of the invention is to provide means of the character described in the preceding paragraph which is so mounted and in arranged that the projection of the parts thereof will not exceed certain predescribed limits so that the mechanism will clear the usual loading platform structures and all other obstructions encountered in standard railway practice. -35 A more specific object of the invention is to provide a sliding door opening and closing mechanism comprising manually actuated operating bars by which the door is-supported on sliding carriers and which operating bars serve to move :'u the same into and out of the door opening, to-

ether with a locking bar a: one end of the door for either forcing the door tightly closed or prying the same partly open and cooperating separable cam acting members on the car and the :7, other end of the door which function as hinge members for said last named end of the door during the time that the door is being actuated by said locking bar.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly in appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings orming a part of this specification, Figure l is a broken elevational view of one of the side walls of a refrigerator car and the if slding door forclosing. the usual door opening illustraing my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a broken horizontal sectlonal view on an enlarged scale, corresponding. substantially to the line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figl ure 3 is a horzcntal sectional view on a'reduced scale on substantially the same line as Figure 2, illustrating the door in partly open position. l=":ure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3. but shown g the door in another position. Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 2. but showing the door moved entirely-out of the door opening in position parallel to the car side wall. Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of a. portion of the door structure shown in Figural, on an enlarged scale, illustrating in detail ,one set of separable cooperating hinge acting cam members. Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view on an enlarged scale, corresponding substantially to the line 1-1 of Figure 1.

In said drawings, I0 indicates the side wall of a car which is provided with the usual door opening ll closed by aslngle door [2. The door I! is slidab-le lengthwise of the car and is displaceable laterally to either move the door into or withdraw the same from the door opening H. The frame of the door opening may be of any wel1-known construction, and is provided with the usual door jambs l3 and Il at the front and rear ends of said opening. As shown, the cooperating engaging faces oi the door and walls of the door opening are stepped and. beveled in a well-known manner and the usual insulating packing material, indicated by I5, is employed to, seal the joint between the door and the walls of the door opening.

My improvements comprise broadly top and bottom tracks AA; carriers B-B cooperating with the bottom track; two pairs of top and bottom combined supporting and journal brackets C-C and C-C; a pair of combined supporting and operating crank bars D-D journaled in said brackets; a pair of combined supporting and journal brackets E-E; a. locking bar F journaled in the brackets E-E and having keeper engagin n'i'eans thereon; top and bottom keepers G-G on the car wall above and below the door opening; three sets of cooperating cam members H-K, HK, and HK on the door and frame of the door opening; pivoted operating levers L-L on the bars D-D; a. pivoted operating lever M for the locking bar F; two combined bearing and latch brackets N--N for the bars DD; and latch members P and R for the locking bar F.

The tracks A--A are arranged respectively above and below the door opening, extend lengthwise of the car, and are fixed to the side wall in any well-known manner. The top track A is of inverted trough-shaped form in cross section, having the opening thereof directed downwardly, and the lower track A is in the form of a rail or bar. The structure of the tracks AA is well known in this art, and therefore no further detailed description thereof is needed. Adjacent to the front end of the door opening, each track is provided with a stop block it of well-known design. These stop blocks serve to limit sliding movement of the door I2 as the door is moved in front of the door opening ll The carriers BB are in the form of blocks or slides and are supported on the lower track A by anti-friction rollers i'I-ll, which ride on said track and are suitably journaled in the carriers.

The combined door supporting and operating crank bars DD are of like construction, are mounted at the front and rear ends of the door, and spaced inwardly from said ends a considerable distance, as clearly shown in Figures 1 t0 5 inclusive. Each bar p is vertically disposed and is preferably of rectangular cross section. As shown most clearly in Figure 1, each bar D is provided with top and bottom end members l8 and I9 which are fixed thereto by rivets or similar securing elements. Each end member 18 and I9 is provided with a cylindrical shaftlike section 20 between the inner and outer ends thereof. The shaftlike sections 20-20 of said end members are journaled in the corresponding pair of top and bottom combined supporting and journal brackets C-C which are fixed to the door near the top and bottom edges thereof. Each end member l8 and I9 has a crank arm 2| at the outer end of the shaft section 20 thereof. These crank arms are arranged clear of the upper and lower edges of the door l2 so that they may swing withoutinterference. The arm 2| of the bottom end member I9 is provided with a crank pin 22 at the outer end thereof which is journaled in a suitable bearing opening 23 in the corresponding carrier B. The arm 2i of the top end member 18 is also provided witha crank pin at the outer end thereof, which is indicated by 24, and, as shown, is of smaller diameter than the pin 22. A roller 25, which is journaled for rotation on the pin 24, is guided in the troughlike opening or channel of the top track A. As will be evident, the door i2 is thus supported for sliding movement on the tracks AA by the crank portions of the end members l8 and [9 of each bar D, and

is adapted to be moved laterally toward or away from the car wall upon rotation of the bars DD. The arrangement is preferably such that the maximum rotation of said bars required to move the door the proper distance either into or out of the door opening is limited to an angle of approximately Each bar D is provided with an operating lever handle L between its ends pivotally supported for swinging movement at its inner end on said bar by a pivot 26, the pivoted end of the lever preferably being forked to embrace said bar. To place the lever L in position to rotate the bar D, the former is swung from the pendant position shown in Figure 1 to a horizontal position at right angles to said bar. Between the top and bottom ends, each bar D is braced by the combined bearing and latch bracket N which is fixed to the outer side of the door l2 by tral bar receiving portion 28 between said flanges.

The bar receiving portion presents a partly circular opening 29 in which the bar is rotatable. The interior wall of the opening 29 is offset inwardly at the frontof said enlarged portion 28 to i provide a radial'stop shoulder 30 which has its stop face in'a plane at right angles to the plane of the door and serves to arrest rotation of the bar D in the position shown inFigure 7, for a pur-- pose hereinafter pointed out. On the outer side, the enlarged portion 28 of thebracket N is pro-.

vided with an outstanding lip or tongue 3| laterally offset with respect to the shoulder 38 and forming a stop shoulder behind which the handle lever L may be dropped to latch sa d lever in "sition when the door has been moved anti; 2 cut of the door opening.

The locking bar F, which is vertically arranged on the door adjacent the right hand or rear edge thereof, as seen in Figure 1, is of rectangular cross section and has top and bottom end members 32-32 fixed thereto by rivets or similar securing elements. Each member 32 includes a short shaftlike section 33 between the ends thereof and a horizontally disposed crank arm 34 at the outer end of said shaftlike section. The crank arm 34 has a crank pin 35 at its outer end adapted to cooperate with one of the keepers G as hereinafter pointed out.

The combined supporting and joumalbrackets EE are arranged at the top and bottom edges of the door 12 and serve to support the locking bar F on said door. Each bracket E is provided with a cylindrical bearing opening 36 in which the shaft section 33 of the corresponding end member 32 of the bar F is journaled. Each bracket E base. pair of ears 3'|--31 by which it is fixed to the door, rivets or similar securing elements extendingthrough said ears being employed to attach said brackets to the door.

The keepers G-G are in the form of castings secured to the side wall of the car respectively above and below the. door opening. These keepers are of well-known form, each being provided with an inclined cam slot 38 within which the crank pin 35 is engageable to forcibly move the door completely closed or pry the same partly open. As willbe evident, when the bar F is rotated the crank pins 35-45 will travel along the cam slots 38-38 of the'keepers GG to effect such action.

The operating lever handle member M serves as means for effecting rotation of thebar F and is pivoted thereto, as indicated at 39, so that the lever may be either dropped to pendant position parallel to the bar F or raised to horizontal position at right angles to said bar.

The latch memberP is of a type commonly employed to lock the operating handle of a locking bar in a horizontal position, and, as shown in Figure 1, serves to lock the lever M in such a manner as to prevent rotation of the bar F, thereby locking the door tightly closed. This latch is adapted to receive the usual car seal as is well known in this art.

The latch member R is in the form of a bracket secured to the outer side 01' the door adjacent to the lower end of the bar F and serves to hold the lever M against swinging movement about the axis of rotation of the bar F when the handle lever is dropped to pendant position after the bar has been rotated through an arc of The bracket R comprises a base portion 40 in the form of a plate secured to the outer face of the door, and a finger or arm 4| offset outwardly from said base portion and disposed parallel thereto. The finger 4| is joined to the base portion by a web at the left hand side of said plate, as seen in Figure 1.

The handle lever M is engageable in back of said finger 4| to hold the handle and the bar F against accidental rotation while the door is being slid along the tracks AA.

To properly brace the bar F, a bearing bracket 42 is also provided for said bar, said bracket being disposed between the top and bottom ends of the bar and fixed to the door as clearly shown in Figure 1.

Thecam members H, which are three in number, as shown in Figure 1, are secured to the door I2 at the front or left hand end thereof and cooperate respectively with the cam members K which are fixed to the door jamb I3, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Although three sets of cam members are shown in the drawings, it will be evident that a greater or lesser number may be employed as conditions require.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, each cam member H is in the form of a casting secured to the inner side of the door adjacent the front end thereof. The member H includes a base portion comprising two flanges 43 and 44 at an angle to each other and respectively overlying the rear face of the door and the adjacent beveled face of the end edge of said door. The member H further includes an inwardly curved cam portion 45 which forms a continuation of the flange 43 and projects outwardly beyond the flange H and the rear portion of the front edge of the door H. The flange 43 and the cam portion ib are suitably reenforced by top and bottom ribs or webs 46-fl5, as clearly shown in Figure 6.

Each cam member K is in the form of a'plate of the horizontal cross section shown in Figures 2, 3,4, and 5, having spaced, substantially fiat, sections 4'? and 48 secured respectively to the rear and side faces of the jamb l3, and an intermediate, inwardly curved, connecting section 49 seated in an opening in said jamb. The section E9 is suitably reenforced by top and bottom ribs 56-56 which are spaced apart vertically a greater distance than the height or the coomrating cam member H to accommodate the latter therebetween.

The operation of my improved door mechanism is as follows: Assuming the door to be closed, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, with the lever M of the looking bar F locked and sealed by the latch means P, the lever M after being unlocked by disengaging the latch means F therefrom is swims:

, from left to right through an angle of 180, there- I to that shown in Figure 3. In this movement the door swings about its front edge by rocking sliding movement of the cam members HHH of the door on the fixed cam members K-KK on the door jamb, the cam members H and K of each set acting as separable hinge members. When the bar F hasthus been rotated through an arc of 180, the handle lever M is disposed on the right of the bar, as viewed in Figure l. The bar F is then looked againstrotation by dropping the lever to pendant position and engaging the same in back of the finger ii of the latch member or bracket R. As will be evident upon reference to Figure 3, when the door has been thus i'ar opened, the crank pins 35-45 of the bar F are so positioned that they clear the ends of the outer walls of the slots of the keepers (Bi-43% to permit further free opening movement of the door. To further open the door to completely remove the same from the door opening, the operating bars DD arerotated successively, the right hand bar, as shown in Figure 1, being the first rotated. To

actuate this right hand bar D, the handle L thereof is first raised to horizontal position and then swung from left to right, as viewed in Figure 1. Rotation of this bar effects similar rotation of the supporting crank arms 2 l--2l thereof, thereby moving the door from the position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 4. Rotation of the bar D is limited to and said bar is positively stopped when this limit of rotation is reached by engagement of the side face of said bar with the shoulder 30 of the bracket N. The handle lever L is then dropped to pendant position into engagement with the lip 3| of the bracket N, thereby locking the bar D against rotation in either direction, the shoulder 30 preventing rotation in one direction and the lip 3| preventing rotation in the reverse direction. The second bar D is then operated in a similar manner but in a reverse direction, thus moving the door I! from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 5. In the position in Figure 5, the door is entirely clear of the side wall of the car and tially the reverse of that hereinbefore described.

The door I2 is first positioned in front of the door opening, as shown in Figure 5, by sliding sa d door along the rails A-A. The operating lever L of the left hand bar D is then unlocked from the lip 39 of the corresponding bracket N by raising the lever to horizontal position. This lever is then swung from left to right to rotate the bar 10 and swing the crank arms 2i2i thereof, thereby moving the door inwardly toward the position shown in Figure 4. While the front end of the door is thus being swung inwardly, the attendant slides the same to engage the cam members H-H-H in back of the cam members K--K-K, thus bringing the door to the position shown in Figure 4. The other bar D is then operated in a similar manner but in a reverse direction, moving the door from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 3. As will be seen upon reference to Figure 3, the crank pins 3545 of the locking bar F are thus brought into alignment with the entrance openings of the cam ways or slots 38-" of the keepers G--G. The locking bar is then unlocked by raising the handle lever M thereof from the pendant position to horizontal position, thus disengaging the lever from the latch member R. The bar F is then rotated by swinging the handle lever M from the right to left through an arc of thereby moving the door from the position shown in Figure 3 to that shown in Figure 2 and camming the same tightly closed by operation of the cooperating keeper engaging crank members 3434 of the bar F and the keepers G-G and sliding and wedging action of the cooperating cammexnbers of the sets H-K, H-K, and H-K. The operating handle lever M is then latched and sealed by the locking member P to lock the door in closed position.

I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, but the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of guide means on said car extending lengthwise of the same; a pair of rotary operating bars on said door having sliding and rotary connection with said guide means; cooperating separable cam acting hinge members on said car and one end of said door; keeper means on the car; and a rotary cam acting locking bar at the other end of said door engageable with said keepers for forcing the door into said door opening and wedging said cam acting members together.

2. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of means for supporting and guiding the door for movement lengthwise of the car and laterally toward and away from said door opening; cooperating cam members on one end of the door and on the inner side of the car wall at said door opening; keeper means on the car; and a cam acting rotary locking bar on the other end of the door engageable with said keepor means for either forcing the door tightly closed and wedging said cam means together or prying the door partly open.

3. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of means for supporting the door and guiding the same lengthwise of the car, said last named means including a pair of rotary operating bars having supporting crank means thereon, said bars being disposed vertically and spaced inwardly from opposite ends of the door; cooperating cam members on one end of the door and on the inner side of the wall member of the car, said cam members being relatively slidable into overlapping wedging engagement; keeper means on the car; and a rotary locking bar on the other end of said door having crank means thereon engageable with said keeper means for either forcing the corresponding end of the door into the door opening and sliding said cam members relatively to each.

other to wedge the other end of the door tightly closed, or prying said corresponding end of the door open and withdrawing said cam members from wedging engagement with each other.

4. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of keeper means at the rear end of the door opening; a rotary locking bar at the rear end of the door engageablewith said keeper means foreither forcing the rear end of said door tightly into said opening or prying said end of the door partly open; cam means on the front end of the door engageable in back of the wall member of said car at the front end'of said opening; operating means on said door located between said front and rear ends and inwardly of said locking bar and cam means for movingthe door laterally outwardly and inwardly with respect to the side wall of the car; and means for supporting said operating means for sliding movement lengthwise of the car.

5. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of keeper means having cam faces inclined with respect to the side wall of the car; a rotary locking bar at the rear end of the door having crank means thereon engageable with said cam faces of the keeper means; a cam projection on the front end of the door engageable in back of the wall of the car at the front end of said door opening; rotary actuating bars on said door between said locking bar and cam projection; supporting crank arms on said bars having crank pins at the outer ends thereof; and means to which said crank pins are pivotally connected for guiding said pins for movement lengthwise of the car.

6. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of tracks above and below said door opening; a pair of vertically disposed operating bars on said door, said bars having crank arms at the top and bottom ends thereof supporting said door on'said tracks for sliding movement lengthwise of the car, the outer ends of said arms being pivotally mounted for swinging movement with respect to said tracks; projecting cam means at one end of said door engageable in back of the wall of the car at the corresponding end of the door opening; a rotary actuating locking bar at the other end of the door having keeper engaging crank means at the upper and lower ends thereof; and slotted keepers above and below said door openings with which said keeper engaging crank means cooperates.

In a door construction'for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of means for supporting the door and guiding the same for movement lengthwise of the car and laterally toward and away from the side wall of the car, said means including a rotary operating bar on said door having supporting crank means thereon; means for limiting rotation of said bar to not more than 90; cam means on one end of said door; a rotary locking bar on the other end of the door; cam means on the car cooperating with said first named cam means for forcing the corresponding end of the door inwardly; and keeper means on the car with which said locking bar is engageable for forcing the corresponding end of the door inwardly and outwardly of said door opening.

8. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of a rotary operating bar on said door having crank arms thereon pivotally supported at their outer ends for swinging movement; means for limiting rotation of said bar to not more than 90'; means for locking said bar against rotation when the door is fully withdrawn from said door opening; means for supporting the pivoted ends of said arms for sliding movement lengthwise of the car; and means for forcing said door either tightly closed or prying the same partly open including cooperating cam means on the car and one end of said door and a keeper engaging locking bar at the other end of the door and cooperating keeper means on the car.

9. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a door adapted to close said opening; of means for prying the same partly open or forcing said door tightly closed from said partly open position; means for moving said door from fully open position to said partly open position and from said partly open bar in a vertical plane to pendant position in back of said finger in shouldered engagement with the stop face thereof to lock said bar against rotation when said door is in said fully open position. a

10. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a sliding door adapted to close said opening; of means for supporting said door for lateral movement toward and away from said door opening; means for forcing one end of said door into and out of said opening; a projecting cam member on the other end of the door; and a cooperating cam member on the car in back of which said projecting member is engagabie, said cam members having rocking and sliding engagement with each other.

11. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a sliding door adapted to clase said opening; of means for supporting said door for lateral movement toward and away from said door opening; means for forcing one end of said door into and out of said opening; a projecting cam member on the other end of the door; and a cooperating cam member on the car.

in back of which said projecting member is engageable, said cam members having cooperating curved faces 'slidable and rockable on each other.

12. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a sliding door adapted to close said opening; of means for supporting said door for lateral movement toward and away from said door opening; means for forcing one end of said door into and out of said opening: a projecting cam member on the other 'end of the door; and a cooperating cam member on the car in back of which said projecting member is engageable, said first named cam member having a convex cam face and said second named cam member having a concave face on which said I convex face is rockable and slidable.

ward and away from the door'opening', including a pair of rotary operating bars rotatable through an angle of substantially ninety degrees and crank-arms on said bars pivotally and s'lidably connected to said tracks; an operating handle lever on each bar; means on said door for lockin said operating handle in position parallel to the door to hold the corresponding operating bar lockedtin position; and additional means on the door for locking each handle in position with the bar rotated through an angle of ninety degrees from saidflrst named position.

14. In a door construction for redrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a slidins door adapted to close said opening; of guide tracks on the car; means for moving said door laterally toward and away from said door opening; including rotary operating bars mounted on the door, crank arms on the ends of said bar having swinging and sliding connection with said tracks; an operatinghandle lever for rotatin said bar, said lever being pivotally connected to the bar for swinging movement with respect to said bar in a plane radial to the axis of rotation of said bar to permit dropping said handle parallel to the bar; a latch on the door for locking the operating handle in position parallel to the door and radial to said bar; and additional latch means on the door, comprising afiange at right angles to the plane of the door, in back of which the handle lever is engageablfe when dropped to pendant position to lock said'handle. in position with the bar rotated through an angle of ninety degrees from the position of said bar when the handle is locked by said iirst named latch means.

15. In a door construction for refrigerator cars having a wall member provided with a door opening, the combination with a sliding door adapted to close said opening, said door bein laterally movable into the opening; of a cam plate projecting from the leading end of the door; and

a cooperating cam plate in back of which said first named plate is engageable, said second named plate being fixed to the inner side of the door jamb.

- WILLIAM M. DWYER. 

